A David vs. Goliath Triumph -
Who would have thought Eressos would be host to one of the most significant accomplishments of the Greek Revolution, a triumph that was considered the first major naval achievement of the historic movement.
It was May 23 1821 when the Greek fleet sailed from Psara in search of the Turkish fleet that had departed the Straits of Dardanelles, the outpost of the Ottoman Navy. The next day a two-decker warship without a flag was spotted, and the Greek masters concluded it was hostile and the advance guard of the Turkish fleet. Tailing the ship, they sailed towards the Strait of Chios where it suddenly changed direction and turned to the west coast of Lesvos, to the port of Eressos. The Greek ship of Giannis Zakkas from Hydra approached and began to attack the two-decker, however the enemy was great in size and heavily armoured. They had 74 artillery pieces and a large military force of more than 1,000 men. Zakkas received heavy gunfire and was forced to retreat with three dead and one wounded. The Turkish warship then docked in Eressos bay and crew disembarked, their mission to gain reinforcements for the guards on the islands along Asia Minor, including Lesvos. The Greek Navy attempted a second attack, but this was equally unsuccessful. That evening, it was at the meeting of the Admirals that Nikolis Apostolis prevailed with the notion of using a fireship to defeat the warship.
A Fireship (Πυρπολικό Πλοίο) is a ship filled with combustibles or gunpowder, deliberately set alight and steered or drifted into the enemy’s fleet, in order to destroy or create panic and break formation.
It was decided to send two ships back to Psara to retrieve a readied fireship. However south winds set in and fear grew this ship would be delayed and the enemy would set sail without intervention. First attempt was made to build a fireship which was attached to the Turkish vessel, but this was quickly removed by the crew and failed.
In walks our hero Dimitrios Papanikolis, a naumachos (warrior of the sea), who declared he could complete their mission. So Papanikolis, lesser-known shipbuilder Ioannis Demolitsas, and many volunteers converted another two small gunships into burning weapons. On the morning of May 27 the weather was the perfect condition for their attack. Papanikolis was determined to carry out his daring venture in daylight with a crew of 21 men. The Greek ships started firing their cannons at the Turkish ship to distract the attention of its crew, the smoke lingering on the surface of the sea disguising the fireships heading towards the enemy ship. Papanikolis successfully sailed under the high bow and lit up his vessel, flames licking the wooden ship. Kalafatis Georgios, who captained the second fireship, failed to side the two-decker and was forced to leave the operation. Papanikolis was spotted by the Turkish sailors who desperately tried to push him away, with others shooting at the arsonists and attempting to extinguish the growing flames onboard. The Greek fleet opened fire on the enemy ship where the fire was constantly expanding and “every man for himself” prevailed among the personnel. At the last moment, Papanikolis and his companions jumped into the escape boat and returned to base safe and sound.
The tragedy of the Turkish two-decker lasted about 35 minutes. Many officers and sailors either drowned in the sea or were burned on the deck of the ship. The total destruction was completed with the explosion of the gunpowder depot, which caused a large number of casualties. Some sources speak of only eight rescued from the more than one thousand members of its crew.
The burning of the Turkish Warship in Eressos was the first successful operation for the Greek fireships and had a huge contribution to the naval struggle of the revolution, giving great motivation to the morale of the Greeks, while having the opposite effect for the Turks. The Greek Navy had found a valuable weapon against the powerful ships of the line of the Ottoman fleet. The contribution of Dimitrios Papanikolis and Ioannis Dimolitsa was decisive in the successful outcome of the project. They perfected the fireship, which was used throughout the Greek War of Independence.
Fast forward to modern day Eressos, and this victory is still remembered, and in some years celebrated with a firework display and a re-enactment of the destruction of the enemy vessel, a wooden boat effigy built by the local community and lit up in flames.
The sunken skeleton of the Turkish warship has long been submerged by the deep blue sea surrounding Eressos Rock, but the patriotic pride and commitment to the cause will not be forgotten.
The Battle of Eressos – A David vs. Goliath triumph.
Post by Nikki Franks Falloon
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